Question for Any Audacity Users

[Kurzweil]

If you're using your Roland, record it into the organ. Then you'll be free to "fiddle" with stuff while the piece plays. It does sound like a limiter. Get your playing out of the loop so you'll have your full attention to examine what's going on. Keep in mind that inexpensive digital recorders can be had for thirty to fifty bucks. Sony makes one that gives you stereo if you plug in a stereo mini-plug (built-in mic gives mono). I borrowed this (ICD-PX720) from work and direct recorded a performance including a mic plugged into the Atelier, direct from its outputs. The result was excellent, barring the quality of the singing and playing and came out already in MP3. As I recall, one has to have a converter to get Audacity into MP3.

[John Kinkennon]

I'll second those comments about limiters or AGC (automatic gain control). Lots of good advice here. Meanwhile, to get the best possible results from the existing setup be sure to go into Control Panel -> Sound and click on the Recording tab. Check the properties for the input jack you are using. Some drivers will have a gain selection with values like 0, +10, and +20db. If you see a choice like this be sure you are set to 0 or whatever the lowest setting is.

[andyg]

The Lame converter is a free add-on for Audacity. I guess legal reasons stop them distributing it with the converter built in. Takes a minute or less to download and the same to install.

[afuller5]

Hi all,

Thanks for your continued help. I also think something is limiting the sound. However, I made sure when I recorded the sample not to have my foot on the expression pedal or change the volume. Also, the touch sensitivity was turned off (as I always have it for "standard" organ playing). Thus, the volume of the output did not change.

I will look into it further a little later. However, I need to get this piece and another recorded quickly for the Dedication service. So, it is on to Plan B. (We all know what Plan B is--the plan you come up with after Plan A doesn't work! )

Thanks again for all your help.

Allen

[paulj0557]

Why don't you run your Roland to your home stereo via an old cassette deck you might have laying around or you can buy one from a thrift store for $5-$10. Plug into the 1/4" in's on the front of the deck. Then set the deck to record by putting your finger where the little record lock-out lever makes contact with the cassette and press PLAY&RECORD [...or if you are lost with what I am explaining here then just get a new cassette tape]. You won't be using the cassette to record on at all, but instead you are using the deck as a more sophisticated adjustable preamp for your computer's high level mic-input.
Not only can you adjust the levels accurately by looking at the VU meters, but you can monitor what is going into the computer from the deck. Many decks even have headphone jacks. FYI you can pick up very high end nakimichi tape deck for peanuts on ebay http://www.ebay.com/sch/?_nkw=nakami...d=370367304834 , but watch out for that $13,000 model LOL

I used to swear by my Tascam US-122 ( the blue one) until it stopped with driver upgrades at Windows XP service pack 2. So the US-122 ( black model) I presume picked up where that left off. Now there is a US-144. These are very rugged, 32 bit sampling, near zero latency for real time accompaniment for your analog external components via a single USB cable. Plug in a condenser mic ( The US's have built in phantom power), 1/4",XLR balanced IN's and RCA stereo in/out. These usually come with software as well. Just be sure you get one that has driver support for Windows 7, and soon to be Windows 8 or whatever Mac if you use one. http://www.amazon.com/Tascam-US-144M...=tascam+US-122

[andyg]

Alas, most cassette decks made for home use feature a compressor or limiter, usually they don't tell you, it's just built in and permanently switched on. You do indeed need to look for a top end semi-pro unit, Nakamichi being one of the very best. However, such a deck is likely to be very old and you take something of a chance with them.

I'd still say that a USB-Audio interface is your best option. Tascam, Terratec, M-Audio, Behringer - take your pick.

[Larrytow]

This is probably too late to help, but I have this saved in my Wish List on Amazon for next time I place an order there. It looks to be the ticket for recording into a stereo mic input from headphones or line outs.

http://www.amazon.com/Olympus-Compat...I2FPKOEMTDC59E

[RODDDIEHL]

Configure your input to MONO

Use only the Left (MONO) aux output from your organ to your computer Mic input. Make sure your using a mono cable.

I'm not convinced your laptop Mic input is sterio. Most aren't.

- - - Updated - - -

I always record to disc first. I then download to Audacity, and never have had a problem. (In MONO).

[wooddsw]

Wanting to do some recording also I got a Tascam DR-40 and cabled it directly to my AT90-SL. I tried a couple different method and wasn't happy with the results. It records in stereo as well.

I let the recorder run while I'm practicing. It records nicely and if I get a clean run through I transfer the SD card to my laptop and download it into Audacity. Once in there I clip out what I don't want and save the performance to another file in whatever filetype I want. I do usually have to use the amplify function in Audacity to bump up the volume and as long as you go in small increments there's no distortion. I can usually get well over an hour on the 2MB SD card that came with the DR-40. Battery life is reasonable. Probably 6-8 hours on a set but I use recharagables so YMMV.

Post up some performances once you get it working!

[andyg]

I've found that recording directly into a PC via a USB-Audio interface works well, as does recording directly into my Boss BR600 digital recorder. HOWEVER - This is only true for orchestral sounds. When you start recording organ sounds, especially those using the tremolo/chorus, there's a huge difference between what you hear through the speakers and what gets sent down the line outputs. There are two solutions.

1) Use a small mixer that can take the line outputs, plus two mikes, balance them by trial and error, and record live. The disadvantage here is that it also picks up any extraneous noises - phones ringing, pedals clonking, benches creaking, even organists creaking !
2) As Rod suggested, record live to the inbuilt recorder - then replay it twice, recording once via the line outputs and the second time with mikes. The advantage here is that you can always do a quick retake if you should over-cook the recording level, or if the mikes should pick up odd noises. OK you then have to line the start points up very accurately but this is simple enough to do in the software. Then you can mix the line and mike recordings as required, I find about 60% line and 40% mike is usually OK and it's a vastly better sound than either method is alone.

As I have access to some high quality reverb plug-ins, I tend to record the organ with absolutely no reverb and add it later, but the Roland's reverb is perfectly adequate for the task. I may also play around with a little EQ, stereo widening etc until I get the final result I'm after, but all that is optional.

As an example, here's a touch of 'big Wurlitzer' ballad, using an AT90SL. https://www.box.com/shared/3hihrbmt48